


I Know Places

by noprincenorape



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alien Skye, F/M, Gifted Skye, Protective Ward, Skye opening to Ward, The Bus, The Playground, Vault D
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-22 21:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2522021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noprincenorape/pseuds/noprincenorape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye keeps visiting Ward unnecessarily and she is desperate to find out why. But when the Playground gets attacked she will have to leave her feelings behind if she wants to get out alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on an idea that came during a Yoga meditation and heavily influenced by Taylor Swift's song I Know Places.

“Coulson won’t even forgive you” She says looking at everything but the caged man in front of her. A man not so caged anymore since she has been deactivating the wall keeping him locked for the last couple of days, probably an impulse she will very much regret soon.

“Does that mean the rest are going to forgive me?” He says and the childish smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, but it feels natural and that’s the only thing she still expects from Grant Ward. Besides the creepiness of his complete honesty and the guilt of the betrayal she expects him to show some natural reactions, something that can make her believe there’s still something to be saved.

“No” She scoffs, trying to ease the tension, her comment wasn’t even meant for him. “It means that you are not coming out in a very, veeery long time, Mr. Hydra”

“Oh” He says, and the smile disappears behind a veil of hurt, “oh, sure, it’s ok”. She mentally kicks herself for that tiny pinch in her stomach.

And that’s it. This is how the new – _real–_ Grant Ward replies every time Skye says something clearly meant – _or not_ – to hurt him. The old – _fake_ – Grant Ward will give her a lecture on humanitarian laws regarding prisoners –even though the real cells in the base were probably as much of a torture chamber as the vault– or as an SO he would probably teach her how to get intel out of a prisoner in the most painful way –she still likes to think that Ward is a sociopath killer, it helps her sleep at night. This new – _real_ – version of Grant Ward doesn’t lecture her, doesn’t teach her, he just hit her with an astonishing honesty over and over again, disarming her, destroying every single scenario she has played just before going down to the vault. And it has happen way more often than she wants to admit to herself.

It has been weeks since the first time Coulson sent her down there to get intel on Carl Creel. And each time it gets easier to be around Ward until she found herself going down without a real necessity. Later at night, in the middle of her many sleepless nights in her lonely bunk, she would think of the reasons behind these visits. At first it was because of Coulson, she didn’t want to disappoint him, she wanted to help him in any way possible, even if it meant meeting the person she hates – _loved? Loves?_ – the most. They needed intel and it was the fastest way to get it.

Later she would even think it was because she needed to get revenge from Hydra, not only because of agent Hand, or agent Koenig but for Mike, Akela, Fitz and she wouldn’t even admit it but also for Ward and for herself, for everything she has lost because of the parasite living inside of their S.H.I.E.L.D.

But once she is done with the rational excuses it’s time for the truth hidden in her heart to show its face. Why was she really visiting Ward regularly? Why was she talking more to someone she despises – _cares_ – than to her SO or her real friends? Ward was able to give her something none else could, but she is not able to admit to herself what that is. Is it the promise of eternal honesty? Is it the promise of being reunited with her family? Or is it simply her own longing for some old normality, for the old – _fake_ – Ward to be back and for these past months to be nothing but a dream?”

“You look tired” Grant’s voice breaks Skye’s thoughts in the middle of the silence.

“You look battered, was Fitz here today?” She asks and she knows she doesn't want to know.

“Not Fitz.” He replies simply and she is glad he is not giving any more information, she is not ready to know who else is visiting Ward. She is not ready to face that Coulson is trying to find someone else to get the Intel from Ward so she doesn't have to go back there.

The silence falls in the Vault. The flickering light makes their still shadows move like ghosts against the walls, like desperately wanting to escape. Skye is too deep in her thoughts that when Ward stands and stares at her worriedly she doesn't even notice. She is staring at nothing, her eyes fixed in the tablet that controls the vault, her mind plagued by a million contradictory thoughts.

“Skye” Ward’s voice sounds distant and muffled, like she is underwater and she is listening to echoes. “Skye” he repeats and this time he is touching her shoulder lightly, so lightly that she doesn't realize Ward is actually touching her.

It’s when he shakes her that Skye comes back, panting as if she has indeed been underwater for too long. She has to grab her chest worriedly, the pounding of her heartbeat along with her burning lungs hurting her chest.

“Ey, Skye” He says and the softness in his voice takes Skye aback, making her jump away from this sudden closeness.

“What are you doing?!” She yells and the tablet falls from her hands, the sound of glass breaking echoing in the naked walls.

“Skye” He says again and this time he stays still. But Skye feels as a small animal being confronted. “Please, listen, there’s something happening upstairs”

Skye looks at Grant, his eyes still worried but a hardness that wasn't there before, that hasn't been there in a long time. She stopped for a moment, her body still as far away from Ward as possible but trying to find out what’s wrong. There is something but she can’t find what.

Ward looks tense, her arms clenched, her legs open enough to give him stability on a combat –she learnt that on her first class with him and she was proud when May complimented her the first time, even if the praising was meant for her previous SO _slash_ traitor.

Why is Ward ready to fight? Why does he look like he is about to fight for his life? Skye feels like the room is spinning, she is still pretty agitated, what if Ward attacks her? She is much better at fighting now but she is probably still no match for Ward. She could always attack him with one of the shards from the broken tablet in the floor but that would take time and Ward was close enough to knock her out with a single movement.

“The rest of the team will be here in a min-“

“There’s something wrong upstairs, Skye” He says again cutting her midsentence and that’s when the idea sinks. He is not trying to attack her, he is getting ready for whatever was wrong upstairs. “Listen”

She doesn't know why but she nods and pays attention to whatever it is that has Ward on guard. She focus on the door, facing the stairs. The faint light of the corridor could be seen slightly under the door but suddenly there are shadows covering it, intermittently, like a group of people passing by the door.

The Vault is in a part of the Playground rarely visited, only Mack would occasionally go to Vault C where he had spare parts for his cars, but almost none walked that hall, even less late at night. She focus in the sounds coming from outside and the steps are too organized for a midnight stroll, and why would anyone stroll that hall anyway?

“Soldiers…” She whispers then, realizing that the steps are boot steps and the soft click of weapons against hands and clothes is there if she pays enough attention, the way May taught her. _Look for the oddity_ , May’s voice says in her head, _focus on what shouldn't be there_. The calmed voice of her new SO guides her through the details, strong steps, military-like, heavy, too organized to be from the usual inhabitants of the base.

“Skye, you have to get out, this is a rat trap, there’s no way I can protect you here”

“Protect who? Who is the agent and who is the prisoner here?” She asks and she can’t believe Ward, after all she has gone through and he still believes he has the right to protect her.

“Don’t be stubborn” His frown is back and he even looks angry.

Why is he angry? He has no right to be angry and that only makes her blood boil, but she can’t allow herself to loss focus, not when god-knows-how-many soldiers are invading their secret base.

“Shut up, Ward.” She spats the usual sentence that end almost every visit. “I’m going to get out, but you are coming with me. I’m sure Billy knows already what’s happening and he will have everyone on alert.”

“Don’t you trust the Koenig twin too much? If I recall correctly his brother wasn’t too much of a fi-“

“Don’t make me knock you out.” Skye says between her gritted teeth, the fact that Ward was Eric’s killer still very present in her mind. “We need to get to the hangar, if we need to evacuate, the quinjet and the Bus are the best ways out”

Billy is on guard duty and he is in fact a great guard, able to look at 4 screens at the same time with awesome skills, probably thanks to all those lonely hours playing shooter games with his brothers.

She checks the table in the floor, the screen completely shattered and pieces of glass and metal and plastic falling into the concrete floor. There is no way to make it work again to contact the rest. But they are probably fine, Skye is sure, they are safe and sound. Mack and Trip would be protecting Fitzsimmons and Bobbi, May and Coulson would take care of the rest of the agents.

“The rest are trained agents, Skye, they are fine” He knows what she is thinking even when she has been shutting him off for months. But even when Ward says it she is not convinced of the security of her friends. “C’mon, we gotta move, there’s no more guards in the corridor”

Skye walks first, Ward following her, and the situation is so bizarre that she doesn't even stops to think about it. Last time they have been in a similar situation they were going to destroy the main system in The Hub. Back then Skye kissed Ward for the first time since they were facing death itself and Ward managed to come back after knocking out 12 agents.

Back then Skye thought Ward was the best agent in S.H.I.E.L.D and that she could trust him with her life. What about now? Can she trust Ward to guard her back? She looks behind her and Ward is just a step behind her, his eyes locked in the door, probably making scenarios in his own mind, trying to figure out the million possibilities waiting for them behind the door. And suddenly she feels completely unprotected, not because she isn't carrying even an ICER but because Ward is unarmed.

Why is she even thinking about giving Ward a weapon? He is a Hydra agent, Skye repeats in her head as a mantra. He is a traitor, the sound of her own voice foreigner even if she has listened to the words a million times already.

“Everything will be alright, Skye”

“You don’t need to tell me, Ward. I’m capable of protecting myself.”

Why is she repeating herself? She doesn't need to prove anything to Ward, right? But the truth is that deep inside she wanted to show Ward that she was a real field agent now, that she knows how to use a sniper rifle, an UCI or a grenade, that she is even training with knives and CQC.

She decides that the only way to stop the voices in her head to keep nagging at her with thoughts of Ward is to cross that door and discover what is happening, so she slowly opens the door, her head strategically hidden behind the metallic door to protect herself from any shots. But the corridor is completely empty, the same flickering light from the vault illuminating the concrete walls and floor.

They exit the Vault, their steps so close to each other that Skye feels like suffocating. If she decides to stop abruptly she knows Ward’s body will collide with hers and even though the idea sounds charming for a second she rapidly recovers her cool, disgusted at her primary instincts.

“The hangar is 2 floors over us. We need to check the elevator to the first floor and then look for the secondary stairs that will lead us to the mechanic workshop” She says quietly, faking talking to herself.

“Look at the lights, they have cut the main power, the elevator will probably be stuck. Tell me about the base layout so I can-“

“Follow me, we will climb the car elevator.” Skye waited for Ward to protest, once again, but he just nods and waits for her to lead the way.

The car elevator is next to Vault C, Mack constructed it when he first arrived with his car obsession and the promise that one day he would be Lola’s official caretaker, much to Coulson’s dismay. The way to the vault is completely quiet, not a single sound coming from outsiders or inhabitants. It is also true that anything happening in the upper floors would be completely muffled by the thick concrete walls separating the vaults from the rest of the facility.

“So” Starts Ward once they find the elevator, a simple metal surface with cables in each corner and a console in one of the sides. “We are climbing the cables, right?” He started to rub his hands as if he is planning to climb barehanded the thick cables that elevate the elevator.

“Even as I traitor you can’t help but be a robot, huh?” Skye can’t help but smile, for a moment the last few months felt like an old dream. “Let me make some magic” With a wink she walks towards the console and plugs a small SD card well hidden in the neck of her uniform. The console starts to show a million numbers and different screen until she is asked to type the order.

“Skye…are you hacking your own system?” The reproach in Ward’s voice is slightly hidden by amusement.

“If I can’t control my own home, how am I supposed to control others?” She doesn't stop typing and lastly she press the red button at the top of the console. “Done, I think you will find this quite more pleasant.” The metallic cables start trembling slightly just before they start pulling them up.

“I believe my method was more suited for infiltration. If there’s anyone around they has already hear us by now”

Skye wonders if that’s SO Ward or traitor Ward talking, there are times when she can’t differentiate between the two anymore.

“Sorry, but I’m not climbing a huge metallic cable just to enjoy the sight of you doing it” She instantly covers her mouth, regretting her sudden boldness. What is wrong with her? The flirtatious comment shocks Ward too, who is looking at her with his mouth open. “Sorry, I-“

But her apology is cut when the elevator stops about two meters before meeting it’s destination. “What in the Hell?” She starts to punch a million random parts of the console’s screen and Ward wonders if she is actually knowing what she is doing or just acting desperate.

“I can help you get out, next floor is only about 2 meters away.”

“What about you? I don’t think I can drag you out from there. And I’m not leaving you here.” And she means it, she doesn't want to admit it but she won’t leave Ward behind.

“I can help myself with the cables, and you can enjoy my climbing skills while checking that the floor is secured” The lopsided smile on Ward’s face makes her wonder if he is flirting with her or just wants her to die from shame.

“Shut up, Ward. Just push me”

He joins his hands and kneels so Skye can put her foot in and Ward pushes her as high as he can so she can grab the border of the floor and check if there’s anyone around. When she is sure that they are alone she climbs out and turns to Ward, who is already grabbing the thick metallic ropes to climb out with Skye’s help.

“I need to contact Coulson and the team” She says abruptly looking around and Ward grabs her arm before she starts running towards the control room “There’s a control room at the end of this corridor, we can check the whole facility from there and we can communicate with them.”

“It’s probably taken. We should probably go straight to the hangar”

“Even if it’s taken there probably will be like a couple of guards max, we can take them down, Ward. We need to check-“

“We are unarmed. Skye, my priority is to get you out of here first. Safe and sound. I’m not risking your security.”

“What? Your PRIORITY?” She can’t believe what she is listening, not in any way. She is not leaving anyone behind, not Ward and especially not a single agent, she is not running away.

“Coulson is surely taking care of everything. Skye, you don’t have to be everyone’s savior. Let’s stick to the plan. We will find the others later.”

Ward tries hard to show her reason but Skye is as stubborn as always so she recklessly runs toward the control room, Ward on her back, his barefoot soundlessly crashing against the cold floor.  

For their surprise the control room is empty, every screen turned off. “That’s odd. All those systems should be working with the secondary power line”

Slowly they entered the room and for their surprise every single cable and screen is destroyed, pieces of equipment filling the floor with glass and plastic and aluminum.

“This is weird… it looks like a mission to destroy the Playground, why would anyone sent a team to destroy a base?”

“It won’t be Talbot or the US government. They usually just take the base as theirs. It could be Hydra, they have enough S.H.I.E.L.D facilities and resources already, and this would be a huge blow for the new S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“It might be payback for Bobbi and Simmons. Also, Bakshi has a personal grudge against May. What do we do? I don’t think we can take Hydra out!”

“Let’s go to the hangar, we have to get to the Bus. If this is a Hydra attack they will bring gifted agents and enough manpower to bring the place down.”

_Gifted agents_ , the idea of having someone like Donnie Gill or Carl Creel attacking her team members sends a chill through her spine. What if they are fighting against gifted agents right now? She has to find them and help them.

This time it’s Ward who walks first, Skye guiding him through the maze of rooms and corridors so they can reach the stairs as soon as possible but avoiding the main corridor. It take some time for them to reach the metallic stairs that climb straight into the mechanic workshop, a lab like Fitzsimmon’s old lab in the Bus but filled with vehicle parts and way less clean.

The image behind the glass doors of the workshop looks post-apocalyptic. The quinjet lay half destroyed in one side of the huge hangar, bodies, both S.H.I.E.L.D and Hydra agents, now confirmed thanks to the Hydra drawing in the back of their clothes, lying all around the place.

“We have to get to the Bus, Skye!” Ward looks back at her but Skye is suddenly lost in her thoughts once again.

Like a while ago when she was in the Vault, when all she was worried about was if she was still in love with Ward, she feels like she is under water. The sound of the shots and the orders being yelled, probably Coulson and May’s voices, and the voice of Ward just a step away sound like an echo of an older voice. She feeels like she is drowning, her body swinging with invisible waves.

“Skye, what’s wrong?”

Ward’s voice comes really muffled and she notices him shaking her but she can’t come out from under the water, she is in too deep, she feels the pressure of the gallons of water against her skin, she feels the suffocation of the lack of oxygen and still she can’t move. She is completely still, time stopped and even if the world outside looks like spinning out of control the quietness is a relief.

Why would she go out of the water when she is perfectly happy now? No pain, no worries, just solitude and quietness and silence. Why would she go back to a world filled with contradictory feelings and painful choices?

It’s then when warmth starts to creep from her fingers to her hands and her wrists. The pressure making her feel so small suddenly starts to disappear and instead it moves to her hands, a totally different pressure that makes her more conscious, less confused and more aware that there is something else that requires her attention.

“Hydra” She whispers, even though she can’t hear her own voice, and a sudden rush of energy flows through her veins, scorching her skin, so painful that she comes back instantly from her trance.

When she opens her eyes all she can see is white, an intense white light, as intense as the pain running through her skin. She screams, a painful scream that unclogs ears. Slowly, the light fades, along with the pain and only a tingling feeling remains, as well as with the pressure in her hands.

And there she is, still in the mechanic workshop, even though it feels like she’s been away for hours, and there he is too, Grant Ward, with his hands on hers, his deep brown eyes staring at her with so much terror that she thought someone had died. Maybe she had died, but she felt very much alive, short of breath and hurt but alive nevertheless.

She looks outside, where the riot was a minute ago taking the lives of her fellow agents, but now none stands, there are no shootings but just an eerie silence, a silence echoing old bloodshed. She looked frantically around the hangar, but it looks like none else is moving.

“What…?”

“How did you do that, Skye? What the hell was that?” Ward asks her and the same terror is still very much visible.

She doesn't respond. She can’t, she doesn't have anything to say after. But she catches the glimpse of something moving near the bus and before Ward can even react she is sprinting towards the huge plane. And there they are, 7 bodies she very much recognizes, 7 known faces lying with different expressions and empty eyes open. She covers her mouth, the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. She feels Ward's presence behind her but she knows he won’t get near, she knows he will protect her from behind and that he will leave her the space she needs now.

She kneels next to the body of Jemma, she is lying over Fitz, as if she had been protecting him but they were defeated at the same time, their fates forever united. She touches Jemma’s face, dirt and blood covering her right cheek as the only reminder of the war they have just lost.

She looks for any trace of Coulson and finds him behind one of their SUV, clearly used for cover just some minutes ago. He has his eyes open, a fiery look forever attached to his face, like he is trapped in an eternal fight against the evil guys. Skye knows that S.H.I.E.L.D was not a charity organization, but she also knows that Coulson always fought for his beliefs and he was a good man who always tried to help. She is going to miss him. She is going to miss her family.

“Skye” Ward calls for her and Skye notices the urge in his voice but she can’t break her contact with Coulson. “Skye, we gotta go, quickly” He urges her and grabs her hand to help her get up. “Here, we will need this.”

“What has happened, Ward?” She suddenly turns and faces Ward, who is not showing the same terror anymore but a fierce conviction. His professional face is back in the game and Skye admires how he can be so strong when she feels like breaking apart any minute. But she needs to know what happened, she needs to blame someone for these losses.

“It was the attack, Hydra won.”

“Then why is none alive? And why are we alive? There’s not a single S.H.I.E.L.D or Hydra operative left, how did they manage to die at the same time, all of them?” Skye sees the shadow of doubt in Ward’s face and knows that she is going to get answers now, she is not going anywhere.

“It doesn't matter, Skye, it doesn't matter anymore, we need to get out of here. NOW! Please” He tries to make her move but Skye is not going to move, she is decided.

“Tell me, Ward, I’m not moving. Was it one of Hydra’s gifted agents?” She tries again, but Ward just looks around, apparently searching a way out of the hangar. “Tell me, please!” She is starting to feel exasperated.

“It was…It was you, Skye." Skye feels ice running on her veins, cold sweat that makes her shiver as a reminder that she is indeed alive and the rest of her family is not."You started to glow and suddenly everyone was down in both sides.” Skye was muted, unable to understand anything. “Please, Skye, we have to get out of here. Hydra will send more operatives soon and they can’t find you here”

“Take me to him” She says simply letting go of Ward's hand but he has no clue what she is talking about so Skye tries again “Take me to my dad.”

Ward is taken aback. She told him that she didn’t want to hear him talk about her dad ever again so he doesn't even know if she has kept looking for him behind his back. He was somehow relieved because he is not sure who Skye’s father is, or _what_ he is, but now she is asking directly to be taken to him. Can he refuse her?

“Ok” No, he can’t, he will do whatever it takes for her and if she needs to find her dad he is going to do everything in his power to grant it.

She nods, trying to push all the feelings of loss, pain and desperation that she knows she should be feeling as down as possible until she can feel them in her feet. She is feeling numb, like an automatic robot, but that’s the only way to continue functioning and she isn't allowed to stop now. She has to keep going before the world breaks her apart.

Skye grabs the ICER and the gun Ward is offering her, probably taken from S.H.I.E.L.D and Hydra dead agents, and tries not to think much of what she is going to do next.

Ward looks at her hesitantly, too many doubts on his face, Skye looks unrecognizable and that scares him. But he is not bailing so he grabs her hand in a bold move, lacing their fingers together and walks with her to one of the SUV, for sure S.H.I.E.L.D isn't going to complain if they use one of their vehicles. At this point, the couple is pretty sure they are what is left of S.H.I.E.L.D anyway.


	2. We Found Wonderland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye and Ward might want to lose themselves in Wonderland, but the burden of their actions will follow them wherever they go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Taylor Swift inspiration, this time with Wonderland. The idea came the second I finished I know Places so I have been planning and this is it. I'm still sorry for the pain caused previously so a little bit of love for all of you.

Skye looked around her, the colorful lights were blinding but she was happier than she had been in a long, long time. As a kid, she never had the chance to go to an amusement park. There was even one time when she was left behind while her foster family went to a party at Hurricane Harbor in LA. So when Grant _Robot_ Ward suggested making a stop in a small carnival-like amusement park in the middle of nowhere she was so excited she almost jumped out of the car.

“Hey, Ward! Hurry!” She grabbed Ward’s hand and dragged him to one of the long queues for the rides.

“Why are you so excited? It’s not like we are here to have fun.” He said, but the ghost of amusement was clear in his voice and, for once, it reached his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, _mission, danger, undercover_ , whatevs! We are in an amusement park! How are we supposed to blend with the crowd if we don’t enjoy the rides?”

Skye looked a Ward with excited eyes and he just sighed. She knew she had won this combat so she stared wide-eyed at the Ferris wheel in front of them. She knew it was not  the most exciting ride around, they had a scary-looking roller coaster –but that would remind her of that scary fall with Lola and Coulson– and there was also a carousel, but she didn't like horses.  

“Why the Ferris wheel?” He asked suddenly as they took another step forward.

“Umm…” _Why?_ Skye asked herself. “We will have a better view from there, don’t you think? And also we will be out of sight for quite some time, we don’t know if they are already around. For what we know, they might have taped the security cameras.”

“Ok.”

Skye knew that Ward wasn't believing her but she also knew that he partially agreed. She wasn't going to tell him that she just wanted a moment alone without feeling like Big Brother was looking. Since they escaped the Playground they had been running, secondary roads, deserted towns, Ward was an expert when it came to be a ghost and she was a pro creating and deleting identities so with their combined efforts they had managed to stay out of the government's radar. She was becoming paranoid, always looking over her shoulder, she needed to know that Ward was next to her at all times and she was working so hard for those energy flashes to stay under control.

They didn't know what they were, she was sure it wasn't her but there was no way to prove it. The only theory they had was related to the alien writings and the obelisk, but there were no way to access information and specialists without knocking a few Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D doors. Skye was scared, she had spent the whole time practically secluded inside the SUV, they would eat in drive-ins and sleep in the car most of the time. She was sure that at some point she would lose control again and if she was outside she would probably _kill_ again.

Skye tried hard to stop that train of thought immediately, but it was too late. Right in front of her eyes she could see the bodies of her friends, her family, scattered around the floor of the Playground, their faces contorted with fiery expressions. The pain was unstoppable, she started having problems to breath, her lungs collapsing quickly. She grabbed her chest trying to make it stop, she couldn't lose control now.

“Grant?” She said though grasps.

Where was he? He was next to her just a minute ago, why has he disappeared? Her vision started to get blurry, darkness was swallowing her slowly before everything went dark.

“Skye!” Ward’s voice sounded muffled, as if he was talking through a pillow.

Out of sudden Skye felt her hand being grabbed and she was yanked out of the darkness. She opened her eyes and stared around panting. She was suddenly sitting, it was dark but she was able to see some light around her. She tried to get rid of the blurriness in her eyes but there were tears coming out endlessly.

“Skye, you are fine, I’m here. It was nothing, only a dream” Ward’s voice was soothing but strong, trying to calm her and provide a sense of safety.

“Where were you?!” She yelled and freed herself while the sobs became louder.

Skye heard a door opening and closing and the feeling of anxiety became overwhelming. She didn't know where she was, she didn't know why it was suddenly night and why she was suddenly all alone. Did Ward take her out before she could hurt anyone? But he wasn't there, he had abandoned her when she needed him the most. He had betrayed her once again and this time she was going to bring destruction to the world so he was betraying everyone.

The door behind her opened and the cold weather hit her in the back before she felt a pair of arms graving her and embracing her body tightly. Her uncontrollable sobs got muffled against a warm chest. She felt like she was breaking apart and the arms around her were preventing the pieces from falling, she was so fragile that every sob felt like a new crack and she could feel that painful white energy dripping through.

“Everything is fine, Skye, I’m here, I have never left your side” Ward whispered in her ear, in a way that made her feel like a wounded animal.

Only Ward had the nerve to treat her like that, only him had been able to see through the cracks every time. During every visit, every empty conversation has led him to see what was really behind her confident look and her ironic smile. But that didn't stop her back then and now that they were the only ones left she knew that even if it was exasperating, Ward was just caring about her.

She doesn't even know for how long she stayed sobbing against Ward’s chest, rocking back and forth, Ward whispering soothing words in her ear, as if he was trying to get to her brain, but when she was finally able to stop and look up she was greeted by a sunrise behind arid mountains.

“Good morning” He simply said, his voice a little bit hoarse and Skye felt guilty.

“Sorry.” She said, and some part of her was still mad that she was alone with Ward after all he had done, a piece of her soul that was getting smaller and smaller as the days went by. 

“Don’t be. Jump in, I bet you need rehydration.” He smiled and pushed her slightly to her side of the SUV.

As anxiety left her body slowly she started to feel completely worn out and the scene from the dream -she was now sure that they had never been to that amusement park, started to replay. The colors, the excitement of being out, the freedom.

“Why me?” She muttered to herself, eyes closed and sadness coating every word. It was unfair.

“We can’t know until we find your dad.” He said.

“Thank you, robot man” She replied bitterly.

“Did you expect a more spiritual answer, Skye?”

She noticed that he was also bitter about the issue. And he had every right to. Even if he was a prisoner back in the Playground, now he was on the run with her, a potential mass murderer, followed by every known organization, from each side of the spectrum, evil guys and good guys at the same time. And still he had spent the night holding her, telling her soothing words and now he was driving her to have breakfast.

“Sorry.” She said simply.

But what she really wanted to ask was why, why he was risking everything being by her side, he was risking his life every minute they were together and still he didn't even once showed any hint of doubt.

At times she was sure that there were a secret motive, some mystery reason. Ward was a traitor, he was a psychopath and a murderer and a skilled liar. He was evil to trick S.H.I.E.L.D, Maria Hill, Coulson or May never ever doubted him and still he was a hidden enemy. He was always prepared, a backup plan, a secret agenda, always a plan B to get the best of each situation.

But there was no _best_ in this situation. There was running and there was hiding and risk and death. There was no benefit, not good outcome. They weren't going to come out victorious ever so there was no reason for Ward to stick with her.

At first she thought he was going to deliver her to Hydra, she was sure that Ward was driving her to one of Hydra’s secret bases where she was going to be experimented on until she was drained. She even thought that maybe Ward was really not part of Hydra and instead he was taking her to the Fridge where the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D agents would take revenge on her by practicing the most cruel and gruesome experiments ever invented.

But it had been weeks already and they have been driving in circles, she was sure they have been visiting the same restaurants every couple of weeks. Was Ward waiting for something? Maybe he was expecting orders or waiting for someone to appear, she wasn't sure. But she was still pretty much bugged.

The nearest drive-in was completely empty. Skye checked the time in the dashboard and groaned loudly.

“You can take a nap after breakfast” Ward said reading her mind.

“You should too, when was the last time you had more than 2/3 hours of sleep?”

“And you?”

He smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back. Even with all the guilt and the suspicions she couldn't help but feel that part of herself that was actually happy of being with Ward. That part of her that she had been muting for months in the Playground was now jumping in content every time they were near, and lately it has been practically 100% of the time.

Even when they were supposed to sleep at night, Ward in the driver’s seat just in case they need to flee and Skye occupying the whole backseat, there were times when he would grab her hand subtly when he thought she was sleeping and she would allow him to do it. There were also times when she would retreat and Ward wouldn't even try again. That was the thing with Ward since they escaped from the base: he would respect her space and he would come close when he thought she needed it, even if most of the time she wasn't even aware.

Coulson had talked to her about her visits to the Vault several times, he was sure that Ward was playing with her and being manipulative, he tried to make her stop and when he couldn't he just begged Skye to cut Ward every time she was feeling uncomfortable. And during the first few months she did exactly that, every time Ward got relaxed or affectionate she would stop him immediately, building a thick wall between them, and most of the time it was a literal wall.

But as time went by and her visits started to be less professional and more personal, Ward’s attitude also change. Maybe it was because she was feeling less on her toes, maybe because they were reaching an emotional middle ground, her anger wasn't as raw and he had reached some sort of emotional stability and wasn't seeking her approval anymore.

“Skye? You asleep?” He asked and Skye opened her eyes. She was lost in her thoughts again and haven’t heard what Ward had said.

“Just coffee, lots of coffee”.

Ward just nodded but Skye knew he was worried, he didn't like it when she was lost in her thoughts, the result of a previous occasion still vivid in his mind.

“What was the dream about?” He asked while trying to choose which doughnut looked better.

He tried to sound nonchalant but Skye was so used to the question already that she knew every single hidden alarm behind the apparently simple words.

“We were in an amusement park” She said simple and went back to sip on his coffee.

“Were you riding a roller coaster?” He was trying so hard to sound amused.

“We were waiting to ride the Ferris wheel.” She replied trying to sound emotionless, but Ward looked at her with curiosity. “You left”.

That was it, she wasn't going to tell him any details, as every time he asked the same thing. She didn't want to go through the dream again, she didn't want to think of the reasons why she had spent the night sobbing. And he wasn't going to ask either, she knew.

“But I’m here, I’m not leaving” He reassured her and bit his first doughnut.

“You shouldn't eat pink doughnut, Ward. It makes you look silly” She said and laughed quietly, trying to get rid of the tense atmosphere.

“Do you want to go to Wonderland? We are near.”

Skye looked at him sideways and laughed. It wasn't funny, actually, it was far from funny, but Ward couldn't know since he wasn't in her dream. “I mean it”.

“You can’t, we can’t… _I_ can’t” She said and went back to her coffee, hoping that Ward would take the hint to drop the idea.

“You should cut some slack on yourself, Skye. You haven’t left the SUV for more than a couple of hours since all this started” Ward had stopped using any word that could cause Skye some kind of anxiety and at times Skye found really funny that he talked like a 5-year-old kid. “You should have some fun, and an amusement park is crowded enough for us to blend with the crowd.”

_“We get a better view from there, don’t you think? And also we will out of sight for quite some time, we don’t know if they are already around. For what we know they might have taped the security cameras.”_

She saw herself again, queuing for a white Ferris wheel, Ward by her side and happy families walking around them without a worry. And she saw herself, losing control, letting the foreign energy to take control of her mind and drowning her.

“No, Ward! I can’t! I can’t control it! Can’t you see that I’m breaking apart?” She started tearing up again.

She hated it, she had become an emotional mess, a train wreck. Not only she was hurting herself, she was also condemning Ward to a life as runaways. Which kind of future was waiting for them if she was unable to stay in the same place for more than 4/5 hours? Which kind of future was forcing Ward into?

“Stop it, Skye. Please, stop. Of course I see you are breaking apart, but don’t you know that I’m here to piece you together every time? I see what you are doing and no, I’m not going anywhere. You might not be able to control it now, but you will. We will find your father and you will become some sort of super woman.” Skye blinked. The conversation was developing in a way she never expected. “Have you already thought of your superhero name?”

That was it. The ridicule comment made Skye just forget everything, forget she was crying and even forget that she was probably going to kill a lot of people if she wasn't able to control the energy.

She started to laugh hysterically. “What the _duck_ are you talking about, Ward?” She said between fits of laughter.

He just shrug it off and their conversation was interrupted by Ward’s cellphone.

“None should have this number…” He muttered and got out of the car to attend the call.

Skye waited inside her eyes fixed in Ward, analyzing his position. His back was facing her so she was unable to see his face but she could see that he was tense, but he was always tense these days.

The call didn't take long but Ward stayed outside, his figure cut against the morning light. She was getting impatient so she knocked on the driver’s window, trying to get Ward’s attention.

“Skye…” He started opening the door and sitting facing her. “I have something” Skye looked at him impatiently. She felt her mouth dry, her lips pressed together as if they were glued. “One of my contacts has information about Raina…and your father”

Skye stood still for a whole minute. Her father, such a foreign concept and still an idea she had been longing for her whole life. Her father, the only person who could possibly tell her something about what was happening to her. And still, her father, a stranger who had ended with the lives of a whole village, who had abandoned her. What was she supposed to feel? Relief? Happiness? Fear?

But then she looked at Ward, she saw the hope in his eyes, the hope that she could get better, he was so sure that if they find her father he could fix whatever was wrong with her. Because, after all, Ward was only thinking of her, she was thinking of her when she dragged her out of the base, she was thinking of her when she hold her during the night or when he decided to go look for her father. He was always thinking of her and this time she was going to think of him, if meeting her father could put an end to their endless escape, so be it.

“Let’s go.” She simply said and Ward nodded with a smile and kissed her in the forehead before starting the car’s engine.

That was the closest they had been in months and suddenly Skye was feeling some hope that everything would be better. They only had to stay together for a little longer.


End file.
